AROUND OUA: Gryphons down Thunderwolves 65-53 to spoil home opener

The Gee-Gees women's basketball team received a push from a much improved Nipissing Lakers team before pulling away in the fourth quarter to claim a 65-46 win in the opening game of the regular season. Although Ottawa led throughout the contest, the Lakers used pressure and hustle to continually claw back within single digits of the garnet and grey.

Catherine Traer led the way for Ottawa, scoring 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting. The senior forward was active on the defensive end as well, picking up three steals and four rebounds. Third-year guard Kellie Forand and sophomore Ariane Lefevbre also reached double-digit scoring with ten apiece. Forand, of Shawinigan, Que., added six rebounds and four steals to lead the team.

Claire Abbott was the spark for Nipissing, scoring 16 points with a steady performance throughout the game.

After working up to a 36-23 lead at halftime, the Gee-Gees slumped significantly under the defensive pressure from the Lakers in the third quarter and the lead was down to six at several points. Ottawa also had difficulty taking advantage of its size against the smaller Lakers lineup, rarely working the ball inside and losing the rebounding battle 39-30.

"They totally controlled the tempo with their containment press," noted Gee-Gees head coach Andy Sparks. "We have a lot of young players in there trying to make decisions for us and that's what happens. We also got out-rebounded, which probably means we got out-hustled."

Big three-pointers from Traer and Forand put Ottawa off on the right foot in the fourth quarter, and from there the lead was never threatened.

The Gee-Gees will complete the home opener weekend with a game against Laurentian on Saturday night at 6 p.m.

Source: Ottawa Gee-Gees

Ravens win OUA opener as Shotbolt, Farhat return to lineup

OTTAWA, ON – In front of a lively home-opening crowd at the Ravens' Nest, the Carleton Ravens managed to withstand the troublesome Laurentian Voyageurs en route to capturing a 76-67 victory to begin the 2015-16 OUA regular season.

Heather Lindsay (Ottawa, ON) finished the game with 17 points and 13 rebounds to help steer the Ravens to their first win.

In a close first quarter, Carleton jumped out to a quick 6-0 courtesy of two three point shots by Nicole Gilmore (Hamilton, ON). The Ravens led through the first five minutes before an Emily Tinnes shot gave the visiting Laurentian team the 13-12 lead. The Voyageurs led 22-20 after the first quarter.

Both teams shot an identical 37.9% from the floor in the first half, but it was Carleton who jumped into the driver's seat with a 33-32 lead heading into the half. Steph Carr (Stittsville, ON) nailed a three-pointer with seconds left in the second to provide the Ravens with the midway advantage.

Laurentian went to great lengths to keep Ravens forward Heather Lindsay off of the scoresheet with consistent double-teams, but the third-year player went 6-9 from the floor with 12 points in the first two quarters, while adding 9 rebounds.

"We got the ball inside and we used our size advantage," said head coach Taffe Charles. "We started making a lot of shots on the perimeter when [Laurentian] focused on taking the inside away."

Danielle Harris was effective putting the ball on the floor and getting to the hole as she paced the V's with 15 points in the first half, including a perfect 6-6 from the line.

Lindsay Shotbolt (Ottawa, ON) returned to the lineup after missing most of the second-half of last season as well as the entire preseason with a knee injury. While it took Shotbolt some time to adjust to the tempo in her return to game action, she scored her first basket of 2015 in the third quarter and with a collaborative team effort, the Ravens held a four-point lead, 53-49, heading into the final 10 minutes.

"Shotbolt has been struggling to get back on the court since January, so it was a big emotional lift for the team which was awesome to see," said Taffe Charles after the game. "We still need to manage her minutes since she is still recovering from an injury."

Steph Carr buried two three-point shots in less than 30 seconds midway through the fourth to help Carleton extend its lead to 61-53. The determined Voyageurs were able to stick around thanks to the one-two punch of Harris and Adrienne Moreau, who combined for 46 or Laurentian's 67 points.

Carleton third-year guard Natasha Plaskacz (Chelsea, QC) knocked down two triples in the final minutes as part of her 11 points on the night, while Abeer Farhat (Ottawa, ON), who also returned to the court after missing most of the preseason, drained six straight free-throws in the final minutes to ice the game for Carleton. Farhat also contributed a team-high 7 assists in the game.

"With Abeer back, we have the experience at the end of the game and the ability to run some specific plays as well as analyzing some defences, so her presence was a great addition," mentioned Taffe Charles. "It's hard to win in this league – whenever you get the result, you've got to be happy about that."

Lindsay Shotbolt scored 5 points and added 7 rebounds in her 16 minutes of floor time, and was very content about being back competing for the first time in nearly a year.

"It felt amazing – I just worked extremely hard in the off-season when I was doing my rehab," said Shotbolt, the fourth-year senior. "I really wanted to come out for the girls and do as much as possible. I tried to bring as much energy and positive encouragement when I was out of the lineup, so I wanted to do the same when I was playing tonight."

Shotbolt was quick to thank her teammates, her family as well as the athletic therapy staff at Carleton for helping her during her time away from the court.

The Ravens are back at it tomorrow night with another inter-division game against the Nipissing Lakers.

Source: Carleton Ravens